View XML QR Code

Oregonian photographs collection, circa 1850-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregonian (Firm)
Title
Oregonian photographs collection
Dates
circa 1850-1984 (inclusive)
1884-1984 (bulk)
Quantity
60.8 cubic feet, (141 document cases, 19 flat boxes, and 13 oversize folders)
Collection Number
Org. Lot 1359
Summary
Photographs used by the Portland newspaper, the Oregonian.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

The Oregonian was founded as a weekly paper in 1850 by William W. Chapman, Stephen Coffin, and Thomas Jefferson Dryer. Despite his first name, Dryer was a Whig, and later a Republican; these leanings would have a lasting effect on the paper's editorial stance.

In 1860, Dryer left Portland to campaign on behalf of Abraham Lincoln, leaving the English-born Henry L. Pittock in charge of the paper. The following year, Pittock began publishing the Oregonian as a daily newspaper. In 1865, Pittock hired Harvey W. Scott to be editor of the paper. Scott remained editor until his death in 1910, with the exception of the years 1872-1877, when W. Lair Hill was editor. Notable editors and publishers of the Oregonian since Pittock and Scott have included Palmer Hoyt, Ronald G. Callvert, Ben Hur Lampman, Michael J. Frey, Robert Notson, J. Richard Nokes, and Fred Stickel.

In the 1930s, the paper, struggling financially, hired Stars and Stripes founder Colonel Guy T. Viskiniskki, who dramatically changed the layout and format of the paper as a means of modernizing it. Publishing mogul Samuel I. Newhouse purchased the Oregonian in 1950, ending local ownership. In 1982, when the Oregonian's main rival, the Oregon Journal, went out of business, the Journal's staff and production, which had shared offices with the Oregonian since 1961, were absorbed into the Oregonian.

As of 2016, the Oregonian was the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Pacific Northwest.

Return to Top

Content Description

The collection contains images from the Oregonian's files, which were acquired through multiple donations from the 1970s to the 1990s. The vast majority of the images are black-and-white production prints.

In addition to photographs taken by Oregonian staff members such as Frank Sterrett, Carl C. Vermilya, Jim Vincent, Peter G. Corvallis, Chuck von Wald, Wes Guderian, and Michael Lloyd, there are photographs from other newspapers and from newswire services such as AP and UPI. The collection also contains a few conceptual drawings, architectural drawings, and maps.

The collection contains photographs of a number of prominent Portlanders and Oregonians, including University of Oregon vice president Dr. Burt Brown Barker, cartoonist Homer Davenport, Portland police chief Leon V. Jenkins, Oregon writers Stewart Holbrook and Ben Hur Lampman, Portland mayor Dorothy McCullough Lee, and Oregon governors Earl Snell and Paul Patterson. Some national and international figures such as presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbet Hoover, Supreme Court justice Charles Evans Hughes, and Queen Marie of Romania are also represented in the collection. Many photographs of locations, businesses and organizations in Oregon and in Portland are included, as well as photographs of Washington State and of other national and international locations. Subjects covered include agriculture, art, aviation, boats, automobiles, health and medicine, plants and animals, the military, and sports and recreation.

Return to Top

Other Descriptive Information

Newspaper production images with extensive markings, often with a caption and date stamp; condition varies.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Oregonian photographs collection, Org. Lot 1359, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged in the following series:

  • Series A: People
  • Series B: Oregon
  • Series C: Portland
  • Series D: Washington State
  • Series E: Other US Locations
  • Series F: Non-US Locations
  • Series G: Photoseries
  • Series H: Subjects
  • Series I: Oversize A
  • Series J: Oversize B
  • Series K: Oversize
  • Series L: Written Materials
  • Series M: Negatives

Custodial History

The Oregonian transferred the materials in this collection to the Oregon Historical Society over a number of years; this transfer was incomplete.

Acquisition Information

Lib. Acc. 18878, 20610, 21908, 22175, possibly Lib. Acc. 20529, 16140, and possibly others.

Future Additions

Processing Note

Separated Materials

Bibliography

Related Materials

Appraisal Notes

^ Return to Top

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Personal Names

Corporate Names

Geographical Names

Form or Genre Terms

Other Creators

Finding aid prepared by Jeffrey A. Hayes
2016

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West